BACK TO YOU

twenty-two. christmas

▬▬ "WHAT?" Conrad glanced over at the brunette that sat in the passenger seat of his Range Rover, his jacket hanging loosely off her frame. She had her elbow on the center console, her chin in her hand and her eyes on him as a smile tugged at her lips.

“I just like lookin’ at you.” She shrugged, but she made no move… until he reached over and grabbed her wrist, he tugged a little and she let him take her hand, then he slipped his fingers between hers. She giggled, unable to ignore the giddy feeling that bubbled through her entire body as he brought her hand up to his lips before softly kissing her knuckles.

Christmas music filled the comfortable silence, and Lennox happily watched as they passed by all the Christmas lights. Conrad glanced in her direction again before settling his eyes on the road, a wide smile pulling at his lips.

“On a scale of one to ten, how much trouble do you think we’ll be in when they find out we're gone?” He asked, breaking the quiet.

She thought for a minute, shifting in the seat so her body was angled towards him, but she didn’t pull her hand back. “Me? None, Suze will totally believe that you kidnapped me.”

“What?” He laughed. “Please. You jumped at the chance.”

“I was coerced.”

“Coerced?” He quirked an eyebrow, glancing at her once again as she nodded her head, her smile wide.

“Yep. There’s the possibility of snow on the beach. Two of my favorite things with my favorite person, how's a girl supposed to say no to that?”

He just smiled at her for a moment, before focusing on the road. “Last time I checked the weather app, there was only a thirty percent chance of flurries, but hopefully we’ll get lucky.”

“I have a good feeling about it.” She hummed, settling into her seat a little more before she pulled her legs up, her knees close to her chest, as she pulled his hand towards her. “You’re welcome, by the way.”

“For what?” He chuckled.

“The bike. I told you she’d love it.” She mumbled, contently toying with his fingers. “Especially the basket.”

“Yeah, it was definitely better than the bathrobe I was gonna get her.”

“Boys really do suck at giving presents,” she giggled, looking up at him, “-mostly.” she added softly as her free hand gripping the sun charm that hung around her neck between her thumb and index finger for a moment.

“Honestly… I don’t think she would’ve cared what I got her,” he stated, keeping his eyes on the road and Lennox was once again focused on his hand. “She’s so happy that you’re my girlfriend.”

“Oh, I know,” she nodded. “And if you need any more proof, she got us condoms for Christmas.” His laugh filled the car and she soon joined him. “Did you see Jere’s face when I unwrapped the box?”

“He was mortified,” he nodded, both still laughing a little. “And your face got so red.”

“Shut up.” She muttered, sinking down in her seat a little. As they sobered up, a comfortable silence wrapped around them and the light hum of Luke Bryan’s Run Run Rudolph escaped the speakers.

“Hey, I haven’t told anyone else yet, but I think I’m gonna switch my major to biology.”

“Really?”

He nodded, “Yeah, I wanna go premed.”

“Aw, Connie, that’s amazing.”

“And for a while, I thought I wanted to go into the research end of it, but now, I think I’d rather be working with actual people.”

She squeezed his hand a little, “Because of Suze?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, then the girl slid her fingers out of his, before leaning over the console and pressing her lips against his cheek.

“I’m proud of you.” She pressed another kiss to his cheek before settling into her seat and adjusting her seatbelt. Conrad just smiled, his hand reaching for hers again.

The rest of the drive went by quickly, not that it was a long drive from Boston to begin with, and they sat in the car looking up at the summer house.

“Should we go inside?”

“No, I think this is good. Let's head back.” She hummed sarcastically, making him laugh. “Race ya?”

He held up his keys, “I have the-” the girl snatched them from his hand and jumped out of the car before taking off towards the house. He laughed as he grabbed their bags and followed after her. He dropped the stuff on the porch, his arms encircling her waist just as she pushed the door open. She let out a little scream of surprise, but it faded into laughter as he lifted her up and carried her into the house.

Their laughter echoed through the empty house, but it faded out as the girl turned in his arms. She smiled up at him, her arms tucked against her chest as she stretched onto her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips. He hummed against her, then he let her slip out of his arms as she turned, her eyes scanning the house. And he turned to grab their stuff before closing the door.

She knew that house like the back of her hand, but it felt odd. “It feels weird. I know it doesn’t make sense, but in my head, this house doesn’t exist in the winter.”

“Weirdo.” He mumbled, then a shiver shook his shoulders. “It’s cold.”

“Also something that doesn't make sense here.” She added as she made her way into the living room, flipping the light on. “You get the fire going, I’m gonna see if we have anything in the kitchen.”

“Good luck.” He hummed as he dropped their bags and made his way to the fireplace. She hummed All I want for Christmas is you as she made her way into the kitchen, she opened a few cabinets but everything was empty.

A smile pulled at her lips when she spotted a small green box, she lifted herself up onto the counter and when she grabbed it she dropped back to her feet, the sound echoing through the house.

“Len?”

“I didn’t fall.” She assured him as she crossed the kitchen, stopping in the doorway that connected the two rooms. “Peppermint tea?”

“Oh, do we have any honey?” He asked, his smile wide.

“I’ll get back to you.” She nodded before turning and making her way to the island. She put the box down before opening the cabinet that housed the mugs. She pulled out his Simpsons mug before grabbing her Nickelodeon mug – it had characters from most of the cartoons from the 90s, from Rugrats to Rocket Power.

“I don’t know why, but I can’t get the fire started.”

“Eagle scout, my ass.” She laughed as she filled the mugs with water.

“Shut up.”

She laughed as she crossed the kitchen, taking careful steps towards the microwave. When both mugs were on the glass plate, she hit a few buttons and it whirred to life. Then she made her way around the kitchen, hoping to find some honey.

“Figure it out yet?” She asked as she leaned against the counter, a nearly full bottle of honey behind her.

“Do you doubt me?”

“Never.” She shook her head, despite the fact that he couldn't see her, then the microwave beeped. She was careful as she pulled the mugs out, and once she had mixed the honey into them she made her way into the living room, smiling at her boyfriend as she stood next to the lit fire.

She put his mug on the coffee table as she sat on the couch, holding her mug in both hands, the heat felt nice on her cold fingers. “You just gonna stare at me?”

“You have no room to talk,” he shook his head as he crossed the room before sitting next to her. “-you spent the entire drive staring at me.”

“I like what I see.” 

“Me too.” He raised his mug and took a sip, his eyebrows pinched and he pulled back slightly before looking at the girl that sat on his right.

“Too much honey?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, but he took another sip.

“I like a lot of honey,” she shrugged, pulling her legs up to her chest as she took another sip from her own mug. “I can make you some more-”

“No, baby, it’s fine.” He shook his head, taking another sip before putting his mug on the coffee table. He leaned back into the couch, wrapping his arm around her and she smiled as she carefully shifted closer to him without spilling her tea. “Thank you,” he kissed the top of her head and she grinned.

“Why did we never do this before?” She asked, her eyes on the fire. “I like that it’s just us.”

“Me too.” he hummed. “But it is weird that it’s quiet.”

She shrugged a little, her eyes drifting shut. “I don’t mind the quiet.”

He smiled as he looked down at her, her head on his chest, and he pulled his fingers through her hair. He relaxed into the couch a little, letting his eyes drift around the room for a moment then a smile pulled at his lips when she saw white specks flutter by the window.

“Len, it’s snowing.” he shook her gently and she sat up so fast, their heads nearly collided. Luckily they didn’t. She put her mug down, her smile wide as she watched the flurries swirl.

“Oh, my God. Come on.” She pushed herself to her feet and made her way towards the mudroom, the boy following close behind her.

“It’s cold!” He stopped her from running out the door. “You need a coat.” He chuckled as he took one off the hook and tossed it to her, and when they were both layered in thick jackets, the girl rushed out the door and down to the beach.

Her converse sank in the sand as she spun, letting the snowflakes land against her face as the waves echoed not far from where she stood.

“This is… it’s amazing.” Her smile seemed permanent as she turned towards the boy, his own smile on his lips. “Isn’t this crazy?” She was giddy and he loved seeing her like that, so carefree. “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and rushed towards the water.

Conrad tugged on her hand, pulling her into his chest and she smiled up at him. His eyes flickered from her eyes to her lips, then back to her eyes. He leaned down, his hand caressing her cheek but before his lips touched hers she shoved him backwards with a laugh.

Their laughter mingled with the sound of waves as they ran around, frolicking about before the boy got her in his arms again, and this time he kept a tight hold on her as he pressed his lips against hers. She smiled into the kiss, stretching up onto her toes as she wove her finger into his hair, which was damp from the snow.

He let his forehead rest against hers, a smile tugging at his lips as she dropped back to her heels. “We should probably go before we freeze.” She only nodded in agreement.

Once they were back inside, they huddled close to the fire, Lennox making sure that he was covered up before she settled on the floor next to him. She couldn’t believe that she loved anyone this much, and the feeling had only grown since that one summer, two years ago, he had told her he loved her.

She smiled, watching as the light of the fire danced across his face and she couldn’t help it as she reached out and gently placed her hands on his cheeks. He shuddered, but leaned into her touch, his hands on her wrists to stop her from pulling away. “That feels nice.”

She rolled her eyes with a soft chuckle, “Only ‘cause you’re cold-hearted.”

“For everyone else, maybe,” his voice was low as she slowly swiped her thumbs over his cheeks. “Not for you. Never for you.” She smiled, her heart thumping against her ribcage, then she leaned closer to him, lightly brushing her nose against his.

Growing impatient, he reached out and grabbed her waist before pulling her into his lap. She giggled at the action, but he swallowed the sound as he pressed his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, shifting a little so she was more comfortable. He groaned before tightening his grip on her hips to stop the movement, before he guided her forward just a little.

“Hold that thought,” she mumbled as she pushed herself up and he watched as she crossed the room, squatting down next to their bags. She dug around for a second before standing up, and when she turned around, he laughed at the box in her hands. “Might as well use them.” She shook the box and the contents inside shifted a little.

“Get back over here.” He waved her over and she smiled as she crossed the room, dropping the box of condoms before she sank into his lap again. He brushed his nose against hers, his lips ghosting over hers. “I love you.”

She pressed a soft kiss to his lips, “I love you.” Their mouths met again as her hands drifted between them before slipping under his shirt and pushing it up his body, she pulled back and he helped her pull his shirt off before pressing another kiss to her lips as he worked to get her shirt over her head.

Once the garment was discarded, he tightened his arm around her, holding her to him as he pushed himself up. She locked her legs around his waist, and their lips never parted as he lowered her to the couch before he let his body rest against her.

⚘‎ nova speaks┆i was not expecting this flashback to be an entire chapter long, but i really this and they are just so adorable!!

anyways, chapters might be a little slow as i try to prewrite the rest of the book. i'm a little stuck, and my motivation has shifted some but i promise that this is still one of my main priorities